Dancing With Death
by The-Cursed-Daughter
Summary: One thousand years ago, Nuada's closest companion killed herself in front of him. Now, she reappears, joining the BPRD. What secrets is she hiding that are worth killing for? And where does she disappear to every other night?.........Nuada/OC
1. Chapter 1

_I couldn't help myself! I meant for the new Nuada/OC to come out WAY later, but I started writing and wanna post it now!_

So enjoy!

_**Warnings: Swearing and suicide (but only in this chapter and nothing graphic!)**_

_**Disclaimers: We own nothing but Lyalispar and the plot.**_

* * *

_1009 A.D, Bethmoora_

Nuada swore as he ran, willing his legs to go faster. Dodging past trees and over roots, the elfin prince prayed he would reach her in time.

He did. The trees cleared and the cliff became visible—as did the young woman standing on the edge of it. Her long pewter hair wisped around her face in the wind, and her pants and sleeveless shirt were torn from running through the brambles. Her bright green-gray eyes flicked to the corner of her vision, to peer at the river that ran far below the drop. There were tear stains on her face and a rope around her neck, the other end of which was tied to a heavy rock she held in her hands.

Nuada ground to a halt and held out his hand, briefly wondering if he could sever the rope before the girl threw the rock. "Lya," he pleaded, breathless, "Please, _don't_."

Lya shook her head. "I don't have a choice, Nuada."

The prince reached for his knife, about to throw. "Of course you do. Please don't do this. I'm _begging_ you!"

But Lya just shook her head, and threw the rock over the edge, the rope snapping taunt and pulling her over with it. Nuada's blade whirled harmlessly over the edge, a second too late.

* * *

_2009 A.D, Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense_

Hellboy, John, Abe, Liz, Johann and Clay sat in the library as Barry Manilow belted out his old classics. Hellboy had a hand on his girlfriend's growing stomach, and John and Johann were playing chess, Clay hovering over them, watching. Abe sat in an armchair, flipping through his favorite blue poetry book. The fish-man sighed and glanced around the library. "I love this place. Why did we want to leave?"

Red snorted. "Because Manning's an ass." It had taken quite a bit of convincing and promises, but the Director had managed to get his freaks back to the BPRD. Then John had come home and—after he started speaking to Hellboy again—was enraged that they had wanted to leave him behind.

Liz yawned at the same time John groaned and slammed his hands on the chess table. The fire-starter glanced at the agent, who blushed. "Sorry. I lost."

Clay rolled his eyes. "Surprise, surprise." The playful jibe earned him an equally playful elbow in the ribs.

A sudden knock on the door startled the team, but not as much as the head that peeked into the library. It was a girl with hair the color of pure silver, and eyes a strange mix between green and gray. "Excuse me," she said, her voice strange and otherworldly, "Could you possibly tell me where Director Manning is?"

Stunned, Hellboy raised a hand and pointed. Liz shook her head and slapped his arm down, then told the girl, "Just go down the hallway, take a left, and Manning's office is the second door on the right." The girl nodded and gave the fire-starter a small smile, then disappeared. The team could hear her footsteps walking down the hallway.

A few seconds later, Hellboy stood and headed toward the door. "Where are you going?" Abe asked him.

The demon gave Blue a look. "Where d'ya think? I'm goin' after 'er!"

* * *

Several minutes later, the team stopped in front of Manning's office and peered inside. The girl was standing there, to Manning's apparent unease. For once, Hellboy couldn't blame him; the girl was one of the most outlandish things he had ever seen. She was wearing a dark green tunic that was cinched by a large and ornate belt at her hips. Her brown pants went down to mid-calf, revealing a pouch strapped to the girl's ankle, just above a pair of black dancing slippers—almost like a ballerina's. Her features were pronounced—thin shoulders and collarbone—and her face was eerily beautiful, almost scary in its perfection, from her pale complexion to her pointed ears.

Hellboy's eyes narrowed. She was an elf.

Suddenly, Liz elbowed him. "Did you hear that?"

"What?"

Liz gave him a look. "She asked Manning for a job!"

The demon's attention snapped back to the elf. "I would greatly appreciate it," she was telling the stunned Director, "And I assure you I could be of use."

Without knocking, or any other type of ceremony, Hellboy walked in and grabbed Manning's arm, pulling him out of the room. "You ain't seriously thinkin' about givin' her a job, are ya?" Hellboy growled. "Don't ya remember the last elves we dealt with?"

The man pried the demon's fingers off of his suit and glanced back at the elf. "Hellboy, you can't be prejudice against an entire race just because of one of them!"

"Oh yeah? Watch me."

"Excuse me, vhat is your name?"

The girl jumped. She had walked out of the office during Red and Manning's conversation, and Johann's question caught her by surprise. She bowed slightly. "My name is Lyalispar, but you may call me Lya."

"What the hell kinda name is that?"

John and Liz both smacked the demon, and Abe explained, "An elfin one, of course. Lya means wolf, lis means sword and par means fist." The icthyo-sapien glanced at Lya. "A warrior name."

Hellboy arched an eyebrow. "So you can fight?" Without warning, his fist swung out. Lya ducked and rolled forward, her outstretched foot catching the demon's groin. As Red crumpled, Clay let out a guffaw of surprise. Manning clapped his hands, and the demon shot them both a glare that said, _once I get up, you two are fucked_.

The Director shook Lya's hand. "Excellent! I wasn't expecting that from someone as....._dainty_ as you. You're hired." Lya looked confused, not sure whether 'dainty' was a compliment.

Red let out a protesting groan from the ground, and Manning rolled his eyes. "But for a trial period of a month. At the end of the month, I'll look at your progress and decide whether or not to take you on permanently."

Lya grinned and Manning walked away. As he left, Abe asked, "Did you happen to know Nuala and Nuada?"

Lya's eyes widened in surprise, but she answered nonchalantly, "The royal twins of our land Bethmoora? What elf hasn't?" Abe was disappointed by her answer, but he couldn't help notice that her voice shook ever-so-slightly.

Clay consulted his PDA. "Well, it looks like we have two rooms open—one by the medical lab, and one right across the hall from Hellboy's room. Your pick."

"My room." Everyone glanced at Hellboy, who was back on his feet. "She'll take the one by mine." He jabbed a finger at the elf. "I'm keepin' an eye on you."

Lya cocked her head to the side and glanced at Clay before turning back to Hellboy. "Well, alright." She blinked. "Are you sure I didn't hurt you too badly? I didn't mean to hit that hard."

The only answer she received was a snort and vivid muttering as Hellboy stalked down the hall with a slight limp. Liz sighed and put a hand on Lya's shoulder. "Ignore him. He's had some issues with elves in the past."

"Nothing too serious, I hope?" Lya glanced after the receding demon. "He does seem to hate me."

"It's nothing personal." Liz smiled and clutched her stomach as one of the kids kicked. "Come on, I'll show you to your room."

* * *

"Goddamned elf," Hellboy muttered as he climbed into bed. She had put him in a sour mood the rest of the day, and his crotch _still_ hurt. He glanced at his already sleeping girlfriend. And Liz hadn't been very nice about it either, teasing him the entire afternoon. Muttering to himself again, Hellboy climbed into bed, scattering cats.

He was just about to fall asleep when the sound of metal snapped him awake. It sounded like a door opening. Climbing out of bed, Hellboy pulled his door open, his eyes flicking to Lya's room—her door was open. The demon glanced down the hallway, but couldn't see any sign of her. Suspicious, he went back to his room.

Liz cracked her eyes open as Red climbed back into the truck-bed. "What's wrong, Red?"

The demon rolled over, keeping his eye on the door. "Thought I heard the elf's door open."

The fire-starter next to him yawned and went back to sleep. "Probably just your imagination, Red."

Hellboy didn't take his eyes off the door. "Yeah, sure."

* * *

REVIEW DAMNIT!

_We have plenty of other stories we should be working on!_

_Kit &_ Violet


	2. Chapter 2

_Wow, well thanks for the reviews! I'm weaving a pretty little yarn here, so you'll love it! It gets very nice in this chapter!_

So REVIEW!

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual**_

* * *

As Hellboy and Liz walked into the library, the demon's eyes narrowed. Lyalispar was lying on one of the couches, a concerned looking Abe sitting next to her. "Hey elf!" Hellboy snapped, "Get the hell up! Ya had all night ta sleep!"

Lya jolted awake, bloodshot eyes wide. For a minute, Hellboy felt bad—the girl looked terrible. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her face was pale. Then he realized that it was probably the result of sneaking out.

Suddenly, John walked in, pulling a cart of food behind him. "Guys, I got the grub." He turned to Hellboy. "They got bacon today." Despite his bad mood, Hellboy grinned. _Bacon. _

As everyone stood, Johann gave a strange exclamation. "_Mein Gott_, Lya! Vhat happened to your shoes?"

The elf froze, her eyes flicking to her shoes. The black dancing slippers she had been wearing yesterday were in tatters; holes in the soles and toes, the ribbons that had wound up her legs were hanging by threads. "Nothing, Dr. Krauss. They weren't very good quality, anyhow. I have more."

Red snorted, surprising the team. "She probably wore 'em out wherever she was yesterday." Lya's eyes widened in shock, and Hellboy knew he had her. "Where were ya last night?"

"Hellboy!" Liz snapped, "Quit it! Leave the girl alone, you prejudiced bastard!"

"She went somewhere last night!" Hellboy insisted, "I heard her door open!"

The fire-starter started to say something, but Abe interrupted her. "Now, there's no need to fight." The fish-man turned to Lya. "Did you go anywhere last night?"

Lya shook her head. "Of course not. I did not go anywhere."

The demon opened his mouth to shout something, but the red alarm drowned him out. He jabbed a finger at the elf. "We'll finish this later!"

* * *

The mission plan was a relatively easy one, Abe reasoned as he flew through the air. Get in, get the key from the stark-crazy Lycans, and get out. Of course, that was the plan _before_ they realized the Lycans knew they were coming, and _before_ Johann, John, Clay and Liz had been incapacitated.

The fish-man felt the breath knocked out of him as he hit the wall, and heard his leg snap. Okay, before Johann, John, Clay, Liz and he himself had been incapacitated.

That only left Hellboy and Lya; the latter flitting around the cavern like a mad firefly. As it had turned out, the elf girl was _loaded_—weapons-wise, at least. It just so happened that the ornate, metal, circular symbol on her leather belt peeled back to reveal an impressive array of throwing stars and knives, and the pouch at her ankle carried a variety of exploding......_objects_. It also turned out that the cord she had twined into her hair was actually a chain whip, which she was currently twirling with expert precision. The whip had a pointed tip—and, Abe guessed as a Lycan went down wailing, the wound sizzling, was also probably poisoned.

Hellboy, on the other hand, was sticking to his basic plan—stomp around and shoot as many of them in the head as possible. Suddenly, a rather large Lycan that was about to bear down on the demon howled as the chain whip's metal tip plowed into his stomach. But instead of falling over, the werewolf grabbed the whip and pulled, knocking it out of the elf's grip. Not faltering, Lya's hands flew to her knives, but it soon appeared that there were too many Lycans for her to kill them all. She turned to Hellboy and shouted, "Throw me a gun!"

Hellboy went on shooting like he hadn't heard her, but Blue knew that he had. He was just ignoring her. Lya realized this too, and with a huff of annoyance, she grabbed a piece of fur on one of her attackers' faces and pulled herself up, ignoring the beast's cry of pain. Planting her foot on its face, Lya pushed off, grabbing a stone ledge high above the wolves and giving herself a chance to pull something out of the pouch at her ankle. She glanced at Abe and the others and mimed closing her ears. Abe and Clay—the two who weren't unconscious—clapped their hands over their ears tightly as Lya threw the small ball onto the ground.

A high-pitched shrieking came hurtling out of the ball, and Lya clamped her hands over her ears, a look of pain on her face. Hellboy gave a shout of surprise, and one by one the Lycans fell to the ground, stunned expressions on their faces. Once they were all down, Lya jumped down from the ledge and crushed the little ball underfoot. Mercifully, the shrieking stopped.

As agents came running in to cart out the wounded, Abe saw Lya walk past Hellboy, who was shaking his head, trying to get rid of the ringing in his ears. "Thank you for your _help_, Agent Hellboy," the elf drawled dryly.

Abe couldn't help himself. The shocked look on Hellboy's face was enough to make him laugh.

_

* * *

_

_Cold. Why is it so damn cold here? Speaking of which, where is here? Where could I possible be that could be so cold?_

_Open your eyes, brother!_

Nuada groaned as he sat up, his body shaking. _Oh, yes, right. Eyes._ Perhaps it's best to open them. As the prince cracked his eyes open, he took in the soldiers of the Golden Army, all lying in wait. The second thing he saw was his sister, who was sitting up on the pavilion, her dress still stained with her blood.

The elfin prince's eyes widened. Her blood! In a flash, it all came back to him, where he was, what he was doing here, and how he had died. Strength quickly returning to his limbs, Nuada stood and crossed over to his sister. As he neared her, she asked the question he had been thinking of first. "How are we alive?"

Nuada paused. "I'm afraid I don't know. A miracle, perhaps. The gods took pity on us."

Nuala nodded thoughtfully, and her brother asked, "Now what do we do?"

The princess played with her sleeves—a nervous habit she had had since they were children. Nuada arched a thin eyebrow. "Yes, sister?"

"Brother," she started, "I would like to return to the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense."

It took all of Nuada's self-control not to burst out in a rage, or to let his jaw drop. "Where?" he hissed. "Of all of the places in the world, why there?!"

"Because," Nuala replied firmly, "I believe we should apologize."

"_Apologize?!"_ Nuada could only echo his sister like a stunned parrot.

"Yes brother, _apologize_. The gods gave us another chance, and I believe we should atone for our sins, and apologize to the Bureau."

"You only want to go back there for that fish-man," Nuada accused.

Nuala blinked in surprise, but then squared her shoulders. "Brother, it is the only place we have left to go, and I will go there with or without you." With that, Nuala turned and started away from him.

With a tortured groan, Nuada started after his twin.

* * *

Deep below in his cavernous court, Death sat on his throne and smiled. If only they knew. With a cold calculated laugh, Death turned to his courtiers and hissed, "Oh dear, our precious princess seems determined. What is our little dancer going to do?"

* * *

REVIEW DAMNIT!

_We have plenty of other stories we could be working on!_

_Kit &_ Violet


	3. Chapter 3

REVIEW!

_We're in a rush! Things get really interesting next chapter!_

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual**_

* * *

"What do you have against me?" Lya asked.

Hellboy turned back to face the elf. "What?" The team had been sitting in the library, recovering from the injuries they had received on their Lycan mission three days ago when Lya had stood suddenly.

"I said, what do you have against me?" Lya's eyes were narrowed, and her arms were crossed over her chest. "It's obvious that you hate me, and if it will continue to be an ongoing issue that will affect our missions, I would greatly appreciate it if we solved it now." Liz arched an eyebrow in surprise—the girl could hold her temper well. If it were Liz, she would have hauled off and slugged the demon already.

"You're an elf!" Hellboy roared.

"And?" Lya asked. "What have elves done to you and yours?"

Hellboy looked flabbergasted for a moment. "Your fuckin' prince tried ta summon the Golden Army to destroy the world!"

"So?!" Lya demanded, her eyes blazing and her hands balled up by her sides. "You think we asked him to? Prince Nuada murdered his own father—our _king_—for a piece of the crown, massacred an entire building's full of humans for another, and kidnapped his sister for the third. You think we elves wanted this? Do you not realize that destruction of the world would mean the destruction of the last of our kind?!"

"Oh yeah," Hellboy drawled, "So yer all just innocent bystanders?"

Lya opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again, thinking. Suddenly she asked, "You are Anung Un Rama—a demon, correct?"

Hellboy looked suspicious. "Yeah."

"And do you like killing humans? Hurting them and spilling their blood?"

The demon's jaw dropped. "Are ya fuckin' _stupid_? Of course not!"

Lya continued, "So according to your logic, since _you_ are kind, all other demons are all well. Should we welcome them into our world then, Hellboy? Let them live among us and trust them, so they can kill us when our backs are turned?!" Red looked stunned, but Lya wasn't finished. "Or, should we insinuate that you are like all other demons; a bloodthirsty beast that enjoys killing humans for sport? Should we destroy you just as you destroy them?"

Hellboy opened and closed his mouth, floundering for an answer and not finding one. Lya smirked grimly—she didn't look triumphant at all. "I thought so."

Suddenly, Red swore and turned on his heel, stalking off and slamming the door behind him. Johann put a hand on the elf girl's shoulder. "I believe zat you officially, erm_, beat him at his own game_, as ze Americans say."

Lya sighed and sat back down, looking rather tired. "I'm merely _sick of his crap_, as you humans say."

John grinned, wincing as the action pulled at the gash on his cheek. "We humans do say that a lot."

Liz rolled her eyes and sat down next to the elf, putting her arm around Lya's shoulders. "You're right though. Hellboy's being an ass; he hasn't even bothered to get to know you." The fire-starter frowned. "And neither have we, really."

Lya blinked as she realized the unspoken question. "Oh. Well, I was born in Bethmoora, the daughter of the king's head archer and one of the queen's noblewomen, and I grew up in the court. My father was a shifter, and my mother was a court dancer—I was trained in both arts."

"A shifter?" Clay asked.

"Shifting is an art of battle in which the fighter can switch weapons in mid-fight," Lya explained.

"Well, I should expect that you would be taught both," Abe said. At the strange looks from the others on the team, he explained, flustered, "Well, a fighter would require a dancer's agility, and with parents in each profession, I don't see why not!"

Lya smiled, calming the flustered fish-man. "Exactly. My father had me fight and learn with his men, as well as the young lords of the palace."

"What weapons can you work with?" John asked.

"Bow, staff, spear, lance, chain whip, broadsword, saber, rapier, dagger, cutlass, throwing knives and stars, scythes, tonfas, batons, clubs, maces and tiger claws."

John's smile faltered. "You're kidding, right?"

Lya gave him a strange look. "Of course not."

Liz whistled in admiration. "Nice." She paused. "Did you know Nuala and Nuada?"

"The prince and princess? Personally, no. I saw and fought with Prince Nuada several times when our fathers supervised our training, and we were among the other young lords who learned advanced martial arts. Princess Nuala joined us in the beginning, but only for self-defense—she soon moved on to other lessons befitting a princess." Lya paused. "She was, however, present when my mother was teaching me to dance. She wanted to learn, but the king wouldn't allow it. Other than that, I only saw the royal twins at court functions where I danced."

Clay was about to ask something else, when the grandfather clock announced that it was eleven-o-clock. Lya stood abruptly. "I should get to bed." She turned and nodded to the team. "It was a pleasure talking to you."

* * *

Hellboy tried to squeeze farther into the corner he was already crammed into. He had seen the elf go to her room around eleven, and he had come and hid in a corner of the main hallway. In the past four days the elf had been at the BPRD, the demon had heard her leave her room twice; every other night. Tonight, the fifth night, he thought as he settled down by the elevators leading to the ground level, he would catch her.

And so he had sat there, crammed for forty minutes, waiting for Lya to appear. Suddenly, he heard footsteps, and he wiggled out of his hidey-hole. But the minute the figure turned the corner—_just_ before he could see who it was—everything went black and the demon collapsed.

* * *

Hellboy woke up to a foot lightly kicking him in the ribs. Clay loomed over the demon, grinning. "Geez, Hellboy, couldn't make it to bed in time? Had to fall asleep in the main hall?"

The demon groaned as he sat up. "Where the hell am I?"

The agent's grin widened. "I told you, you're in the main hall. Me 'n Liz found you like this. She was worried when you didn't come to bed."

Suddenly, Red remembered what he was doing in the hallway. "Lya! The elf! Where is she?!"

Clay looked surprised. "She's in her room, sleeping. We tried to wake her up, but she won't budge, she's so exhausted." The man frowned. "And her shoes are ruined again. She and Liz went and bought some more a couple of days ago—seems like she only buys dancing shoes—and two days later," he snapped his fingers, "One pair's already gone. It makes me wondering what the hell she could be doing with them."

Hellboy growled; he'd missed her! As he was about to say something, though, the red alarm went off, flooding the room with red light. He turned to Clay. "What and where?"

Clay listened to the agent speaking through his earpiece, and his eyes widened in surprise. "I don't know, and it's _here_!"

* * *

REVIEW!

_Kit &_ Violet


	4. Chapter 4

_Sorry it's been so long, but I've sort of been out of commision for a while. I fractured my ankle and Vi broke her wrist, so go figure! Stupid bungee-jumping......._

This is where things get fun!

_Vi! You shouldn't be typing!_

And you should be in bed!

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual, and HB gets......well, we won't tell you!**_

* * *

John, Liz, Abe, Johann and Lya met up with Hellboy and John and they rushed outside. The demon noticed that the elf was limping slightly. As they reached a ring of agents, they heard two voices, one angry and the other pleading.

"Get your hands off of us!"

"Please, we don't mean you any harm!"

Abe's eyes widened. "Nuala?"

The ring of agents stepped aside, revealing the two elfin royals, each with two agents holding their arms. Nuada glared at the team, at least until he spotted Lya. The look of disbelief on his face was enough to make Hellboy laugh. Nuala, feeling her brother's distress, turned to follow his gaze, and her mouth formed a surprised O as she saw the elfin agent. "_Lyalispar?_ Is that you?"

Hellboy turned to the elf and jerked a thumb at the twins. "Do you _know_ these guys?"

Without hesitating, Lya shook her head. "Of course not, Hellboy. How would I know royalty?"

"Lya!" Nuala exclaimed, shocked. "How could you pretend not to know us?!"

Liz, Johann, John, Abe, Clay and Hellboy turned to look at the girl, who shrugged and bowed slightly. "I apologize, Princess, but I am not pretending. I'm afraid I do not know you."

"You're lying! Why are you lying?!" Nuada shouted, his face panicked.

Lya looked uncomfortable, and began to play with her hands. Her next words sounded almost recited. "Please, Prince, while it flatters me that you seem to know me so well, I am forced to admit that though I have seen you at our court's functions, I have never met you in person for more than our sparring lessons."

Nuada looked injured by the monotonous tone in her voice. "How are you even here?" he asked, "You _died_ one thousand years ago!"

The team's eyes flicked to Lya in surprise, but if the girl knew what Nuada was talking about, she hid it well. "I apologize, Prince Silverlance, but you are mistaken." She smiled brightly, but even Hellboy was shocked by how sad the gesture was. "If I died, how in the world would I be here?" And with that, the girl turned and walked away.

* * *

Nuada paced around the small prison he had been put into, being careful to stay away from the iron walls. They would not burn him as mortals thought, but the feeling was power-sapping. While he was the picture of a calm man merely walking to stretch his muscles to the guards he _knew_ were watching, his mind whirled. Lyalispar was _here_. Lyalispar was _alive_. And Lyalispar had pretended that she didn't know him.

"Why?" he muttered to himself. Nuada had spent months in shock, and years in denial. Lyalispar was never lacking in anything; not in friends, nor entertainment, nor material possessions. She loved life and grinned wickedly—she was the trickster of the court and Nuada's fancy. And yet, one day she was just gone; killing herself without a word as to why, and leaving Nuada to despair for a millennia.

A sudden creaking sound made the prince whirl around; the giant red demon and the fish-man had walked in. Hellboy noticed the prince's expression. "Hey, I don't like it either, but Manning says we gotta figure out why yer here."

Nuada's eyes flashed. "My sister insisted on coming here. She felt that we had to apologize."

"Really? What about Lya?"

The elf's eyes hardened, he would not let the demon or his psychic friend see what he really felt. "What of her?"

"You looked very surprised to see her," Abe explained.

Nuada rolled his eyes, the picture of an aggravated man. "She was a talented court dancer who died a thousand years ago. Naturally, I was surprised to see her _alive_."

Hellboy snorted. "Pretty damn surprised about some court dancer." He arched an eyebrow. "Ever sleep with her?"

Nuada's eyes flashed with rage and he reached for where his weapons would usually have been. "How _dare_ you suggest that I would ever do anything of that......" The elf trailed off and winced. Hellboy waggled a finger at him. "Ha, ha, gotcha."

"What did she really mean to you?" Abe asked.

"More than it is your right to know, fish-man." Nuada snapped.

"Nuala says that you and Lya were very close."

Red grinned. "Yeah. Very, _very_ close."

"I will tell you _nothing_," the prince hissed. "I have done no wrong in coming here—I have hurt no one."

"Yet."

"I have hurt no one," Nuada repeated, "And you have no right to keep my sister and me."

The demon glanced at Abe, who shrugged. "He is right." Nuada looked smug, but Abe continued. "_But_, Princess Nuala said you were here to apologize. And I'm sorry to tell you, Prince, that a simple 'I'm sorry' won't cut it. Elfin custom usually requires the offender to work off the insult."

"In a nutshell," Hellboy supplied. "You and yer sister'll be workin' for us for a while."

Nuada was about to retort, when he realized that working with the demon—no matter how trying that would be—would mean he could get closer to Lya. So he shrugged. "Fine."

Abe looked surprised. "Excuse me?"

"My sister wishes to apologize, and I will do as she does."

The two agents glanced at each other, and Abe pulled a leather cuff out of his pocket, handing it to Nuada. Without a word, the prince put it on, feeling it tighten. "A binding spell?"

Hellboy grinned as he stood and rapped the metal door of the prison. "Just ta make sure that you and yer sis stick to yer promises."

* * *

Lya sighed as she walked into the library to see Nuada and Nuala sitting there. For the past day, she had been able to keep up the act that she didn't know the two, but she had slipped up a few times, answering several intimate questions of Nuada's that a regular court dancer would never know the answers to.

Liz spotted her as she walked in, and smiled. "Hey Lya, come sit with me!" When Lya arched an eyebrow in surprise, Liz smiled again. "The kids don't kick as much when you're nearby."

Lya sat down next to the pregnant woman and put a hand on her stomach, closing her eyes and listening to something. "They're beautiful." She glanced up and Liz and then closed her eyes again. "They love the sound of your and Hellboy's voices, and ask you to eat more of the tart, citrus-y things." The elf paused, and then explained, "Oranges."

John laughed. "Pretty big demands for kids that aren't even born yet."

Abe looked up from his blue poetry book. "Well, they are Hellboy's children."

The demon made a face. "Hey! Wazzat supposed ta mean?"

"It means that you are an obnoxious, picky, crude demon," Nuada supplied, never taking his eyes off of Lya.

Red growled. "No one was asking you."

Before anyone else could say anything, the giant grandfather clock rang out eleven, and Lya stood, turning for the door. Just before she reached it, Hellboy blocked her path. "Where ya goin'?"

Lya frowned. "To sleep, Hellboy."

"Aw, come on! It's the seventh day yer here! We need some kinda celebration! Stay up late!"

The elf looked suspicious. "I didn't realize that the first week of an occupation was cause to celebrate, nor was I aware that your feelings towards me were warm enough to suggest a celebration."

Hellboy shrugged and grinned wide. "Hey, people change. Stay with us. I _insist_."

Lya sighed and glanced at the clock. Five precious minutes had already passed. Turning back to the demon, she said, "Hellboy, this is not the best week of the month to bother me, as you have probably very well learned from Liz. It is not wise to keep me here, unless you would like blood to be all over your late father's couches."

Hellboy's jaw dropped as Clay guffawed in surprise, and Lya breezed right past him. Nuada and Nuala looked appropriately shocked, and Liz was hiding a smile behind her hand. "She got you there."

Hellboy grumbled as he sat back down next to her. "Damn. Pulled the one card I can't call 'er on." At the team's confused looks, he elaborated, "She's _lyin'_! Ain't you noticed she goes somewhere every other night? I tried ta catch her once, but when it's a quarter to midnight, I immediately fell asleep!"

Nuada's eyebrows arched and he shared a glance with his sister. Johann looked at them. "Do you perhaps know somesing of zis?"

Nuala nodded. "Lya would sneak away at night back in Bethmoora as well. Whenever my brother and I tried to see where she went, the clock announced a quarter til midnight, and the next thing we knew, it was morning, and Lya was in bed."

Liz arched an eyebrow. "How would you know that? Lya swears she never met you."

Nuada and Nuala exchanged glances again but said nothing. Liz looked at the team. Either Lya or the royals were lying, but which one should they trust?

* * *

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_Kit &_ Violet


	5. Chapter 5

_Okay, everything is explained in this chapter!_

Review or we'll hold out til summer's over!

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual**_

* * *

Lya heard the footsteps behind them and instantly recognized them as Nuada's. His trademark leather shoes slapped the tile behind her. Immediately the elf picked up her pace, walking past an adjacent hallway. The minute she had walked past it, a second set of footsteps joined Nuada's; soft silk and cotton sliding over the floor—Nuala.

She made it into the main hallway where the lifts were before Nuada surged forward and caught her arm. Spinning her around, Lya was forced to meet his seething gaze. "Why do you keep avoiding us?" he hissed. "You walk around as if you don't know us—why?"

"Because I don't know you." Lya stated simply. Nuada's grip tightened on her arm. Several agents who were walking by stopped to look at the elves.

Nuala looked hurt. "Lya, why are you doing this? Please, we were such good friends!"

Lya looked down out of respect. "Princess, I sincerely apologize, but you and your brother have me mistaken with someone else."

Nuala looked like she was about to say something, but a loud laugh startled her. Hellboy, John, Abe, Liz and Clay were walking towards them. Once the team had spotted them, they stopped. "What's going on?" Abe asked.

Nuada turned to Lya, his expression hard. "Really then, Lya?" he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Then how do I know your name? Have we mistaken your _name_ with our phantom friend as well? It seems to me that you two are very alike; both court dancers than I happened to train with." He cocked his head to the side. "Because I only seem to recall one person like that." The elf glanced at the team, who were watching with silent surprise and interest. "You see, Lya, it seems to me that you are lying—in fact, I know that you are. The only question is why."

Suddenly, something flashed in Lya's eyes, and she tore her arm out of Nuada's grip. "Because," she shouted, "It was one thousand years ago! My life in Bethmoora is long over, and I wish you would leave it be!"

"It shouldn't be over!" Nuada snapped back as his sister watched, stunned. "You ended it yourself!"

"What I did was none of your concern!"

Nuada paused, hurt apparent on his features. "None of my concern?" he repeated quietly. Then, his voice grew angry. "It is my concern, if no one else's! You left me to mourn for one thousand years—I demand an explanation!"

Lya looked panicked, her gaze flitting between the team and Nuada and his sister. "I did what I had to do."

"What you had to do?" Nuada growled in frustration, then his gaze snapped back up to Lya. "Then tell me, Lyalispar, what exactly _had to be done_ to make you kill yourself?" He heard Liz gasp and continued. "What _had to be done_ to make you off yourself without a word to my sister or me? What _had to be done_ that you left us to grieve for so long—when it seems that you were alive the entire time?"

Lya looked at him, and then sighed. When she started speaking, Hellboy and the team had to lean forward to hear her.

"Long ago, when you and Nuala were just born, you both were very ill, and Death came for you." Lya looked at the shocked faces of the royals, and continued, "Your father begged him to wait, but Death would not be swayed. He demanded something to take back to his realm with him. And so your father struck a deal. My mother would dance for Death in his realm every month on the full moon, and in return, Death would let the heirs live. But then, when my mother died of exhaustion, the burden was passed to me."

Nuala looked horrified, unable to take her eyes from the elf girl. "You mean to say our father _sold _you to Death?"

Lya glanced at her, but didn't answer. "And so I danced—every full moon since I was seven—for Death and his court. But I began to miss nights."

"I remember this," Nuada said, wearing the same look as his sister. "You were sick with exhaustion—you were bed-ridden for months at a time." He paused, and his expression grew more shocked. "And no matter how much you rested during the day, it reoccurred occasionally over the years."

Hellboy and the team listened, shocked into silence, and Lya nodded and continued, "And for every night I missed, Death grew enraged. I went from dancing once a month to twice, then every week, and then every third day. Until finally I was dancing for him every night."

Nuala's face broke into the smallest of smiles. "The royal cobbler was always so furious with you, making you new slippers every few days." The smile was wiped off of her face as she came to a sudden realization. "This is why."

Lya smiled gently. "But soon, Death wanted me during the day. And of course, the only way to enter his realm is to die."

"Why?"

The question had come from Abe, surprising everyone. Lya's eyes flicked to him. _"Why?"_ she asked, "What do you mean? If I refused, the heirs to Bethmoora would die within a day. My life, or the life of the prince and princess? There was no choice to make. It was my duty to Bethmoora, and I did what was required of me."

The team seemed to get their voices back. Liz asked, "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I tried, but my voice either died in my throat, or nonsense came out." The girl glanced at Hellboy, anticipating his question. "And no, I did not try to get away. Where could I go? Even death wasn't an escape, and if I left Bethmoora, Nuada and Nuala would die."

"Why didn't anyone catch you?"

Lya frowned. "Death's enchantments are very strong. A three-quarters of an hour before midnight, everyone fell into a deep sleep—my maids, the guards, everyone—and I was able to sneak away. Nothing could wake them." She paused. "I should know; I tried to very many times."

"But how are you here now?" John asked, "How could you come to Earth if Death wanted you so badly? If you," the agent paused and looked uncomfortable, "If you killed yourself?"

The elf smiled faintly. "When Nuala and Nuada died, I was there, dancing in the court, but they didn't see me. Death welcomed them, and I couldn't stand it. They weren't supposed to die." She sighed, her eyes glassy. "So I begged Death to let them live, told him that it would be my reward for serving him so diligently over the past millenia. But he did more; he let me return as well, and now I only dance for him every other night."

"When?" Nuada looked abnormally pale, his fingernails digging into his palms.

"Tonight."

"I'll go with you."

Lya looked panicked. "You can't! Death will kill you if he sees you! I didn't beg him just to let you die again!"

"I can't let you go back there," the prince countered quietly, his voice weary and shocked.

"I can't let you die!"

"Lya," Clay said hesitantly, "Maybe Nuada's right. You can't keep dancing for Death like this—if you keep it up, you'll die of exhaustion. Leave it to us, we'll figure something out, and in the meantime, we have to keep you from dancing." He paused. "You'll dance yourself into your grave."

The elf girl looked at him, and the look in her eyes made Clay flinch and take a step back. "You can't stop me."

* * *

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_Kit &_ Violet


	6. Chapter 6

_Okay, sorry it's been so long! We've been having finals, and just an hour ago we went to our eighth grade graduation! _

Yay us!

_Yeah, yay! Except for the fact that I won't be able to write anything for the next little while, because I have to take qualification tests at the nearby college to see if I can get college credits over the summer. So don't expect anything for the next little while._

Sorry guys.

_**Warnings: The usual**_

_**Disclaimers: We own nothing but the plot, Lya, our version of Death and Rorek!**_

* * *

The team was in the library when it happened.

* * *

Nuada sat in the library with the rest of the BPRD team and his sister, nervously watching the clock count the minutes to eleven-fifteen. Just over an hour ago, Lya had been locked in her room, with all manner of security pointed at the door and the window. Hellboy had assured the elf that there was "a snowball's chance in hell of Lya gettin' outta there". The prince highly doubted it.

He could feel the tension on Nuala's side of the link as the clock ticked away the last thirty seconds of eleven-fifteen. As soon as it passed, the prince looked at the rest of the team. Abe voiced his unspoken question. "Why aren't we asleep?"

Before anyone could answer, a blood-curdling roar tore through the BPRD, knocking several books off the library table. Instantly Hellboy was up, grabbing his gun and heading for the source of the noise—outside in the back garden. Exchanging glances, the rest of the team rushed after him.

* * *

When they got outside, Hellboy swore. "Lya didn't say anythin' about turnin' inta _that_!"

Nuada shot him a look. "That is _not_ Lya."

The monster that stood in front of them looked like a poor attempt at a clay man. It was a giant with misshapen limbs, a large head, and no neck. It facial features appear to have been slashed in, and they made it look even more like something out of a fairytale.

It was also leveling agents like they were bowling pins.

Hellboy emptied a clip into the thing, but it didn't turn—not even registering the hit. It knocked the demon into the bushes, and went back to stomping towards the BPRD headquarters. Nuada jumped in its path, and just as the thing was about to pound him into the ground, a voice stopped it.

"Rorek, enough!"

The clay man looked up to one of the windows, and the team followed its gaze. Lya was peering out her window, her pewter hair ornately pinned up high on her head. "Tell him that I understand his message. I will be there."

With what appeared to be a giant shrug, Rorek turned and lumbered off for the highway, but just before he reached it, he was sucked into the ground. Several agents went to go check the ground, but shouted back that there was nothing there. Meanwhile, the team exchanged glances—had they heard Lya correctly? Without a word to the others, Nuada bolted up the stairs, his heart in his throat as he found the guards incapacitated and the security cameras turned off—it appeared as though they had never been on.

And Lya was gone.

* * *

Lya glanced back at the chaos of the BPRD before disappearing further into the woods. She hadn't meant for Rorek to come, but it couldn't be helped.

At eleven-fifteen, instead of everyone falling asleep, Lya had manipulated the parameters of the spell—Death being none the wiser—to switching off and erasing the footage on the security cameras, disabling the motion sensors on her window and door, and knocking out the guards. Her limbs still trembled with the effort; tampering with Death's magic was no easy thing.

Now she moved fluidly through the trees, her dancer clothes whipping in the wind. Her mother had never worn a dress when she danced; opting instead for skin-tight brown pants and a long, flowing, brightly-colored tunic. The trees tapered off into dense bushes the farther she went, and Lya shivered. Normally, she would have been able to cross into Death's domain through the ornate carpet in her room, but she couldn't have risked it tonight.

Finally she reached the giant tree, rapping sharply on the bark. Part of the bark peeled away, and a watery eye regarded her. "Who is it?"

"Who do you think?"

The eye looked her up and down, and widened. The bark quickly pulled back and Lya heard locks being turned and unbolted. A door swung open to reveal a small gnome, his back bent by age. "Oh, my lady! My sincerest apologies for keeping you! His Eminence awaits you down in the main hall."

Lya nodded and brushed past him, hurrying down the spiral stairs that led down to the earthen chamber. As she reached the bottom, she noticed the gates that led to the Underworld were already open, one of the handles covered in clay—Rorek had been here.

Stepping through the gates and feeling a chill steal down her back, Lya walked through the land of the dead without fear, striding past all sorts of horrors that stretched for eternity on either side of the path she was on. The cries of the dead grated on her nerves, and she was almost relieved when she reached the lake.

The water was pitch black, and smooth as the face of a mirror. Knowing what to do—even though for the past thousand years she had lived on the small island in the middle of the lake—Lya announced, "I am Lyalispar of Bethmoora, once the court dancer of King Balor and now of His Eminence, Death." Then, she stepped onto the water.

Her weight held, and she breathed a sigh of relief—after what had happened this night, she wouldn't have been surprised if Death wanted her killed again. This lake was his master defense; no boats would float on it, anyone who tried to swim burned in the acidic water. Only those who had a purpose in Death's court could cross the water.

The elf let out the breath she was holding as her feet touched the silver sand on the other side. Immediately, a guide ran to her side, taking her arm and leading her into the court.

Despite the years she had danced for Death, Lya was still unnerved by the creatures who kept his court. All varieties of atrocities stood and chatted in corners; and on the far end of the court, on a throne of bones and wailing souls, sat Death.

"Kneel."

Automatically, Lya dropped to one knee in a warrior's bow, a habit beaten into her head by her father. Lya didn't look up at the man on the throne—if she could even call him a man. Death was in one of his favorite guises, a dark-haired young man in his twenties, wearing simple yet ornate pants and an embroidered tunic. Although he smiled genially, his eyes flashed with rage. "You are late, Lya."

The elf kept her eyes on the tiled floor beneath her as the whispers of the court were silenced. "My apologies, Your Eminence. The Bureau began to suspect I was leaving at night, and locked me in."

Death arched a slim eyebrow, and his fingers tapped out a rhythm on his armrest. "Really? And _why_ would they suspect?"

"Your Liege did not tell me that Their Highnesses were coming to the Bureau. I did not anticipate it, and their lips were rather loose."

Death shrugged. "How was I to know that they were coming to the BPRD?"

Lya's eyes narrowed, but she swallowed a biting remark. "Because you know all things, Your Eminence."

Death laughed and snapped his fingers; music began to play. "Enough flattery—dance."

Lya sucked in a deep breath and stood.

* * *

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_Kit &_ Violet


	7. Chapter 7

_Here you all go, enjoy and review!_

Slackers!

_Harsh, Vi! And anyway, check our profile there's something important on there!_

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual**_

* * *

The team sat in Lya's room as the clock ticked away the night. Nuada growled as he paced back and forth on Lya's elegant rug. As he paced, he noticed the design—the rug was perfectly square and completely black, with blue, purple and silver vines twirling around in a perfectly aligned and symmetrical pattern.

Nuala watched her brother, concerned. "Brother, perhaps you should—"

"I will do nothing!" Nuada snapped.

"Hey!" Hellboy said. "She's just as worried as the rest of us, buddy. So sit the hell down."

"Lya tricked us!" Nuada said quietly, murderously. "She tricked us, and is dancing for the Grim Reaper because my sorry excuse for a father sold her and her mother—"

"To ensure your safety!" Liz snapped, standing up. Her hair was flaming, and Nuada took a step back, sinking onto the bed next to his sister. "I think Lya knows what she's doing better than we do—she's been doing it for a thousand years!" Nuada opened his mouth, but the fire-starter cut him off. "_And_, I know Lya can handle anything—I mean, she hasn't killed _you_ yet, has she?"

Something flashed in the elf's eyes, and he stood, but he said nothing. "I just wish we could do something!" He stamped his foot on the ornate rug, frustrated at how childish the action was.

"Ve vill sink of somesing," Johann assured him.

But Johann's words fell on deaf ears. Nuada watched in shock as a square of the rug shimmered and disappeared, revealing a deep dark hole. A quick glance confirmed that only he and Nuala could see what had happened. John arched an eyebrow. "Everything alright, Nuada?"

The prince nodded, still stunned. "Yes—of course." He turned for the door, Nuala heading after him. "If you'll excuse us, we need to think for a while."

As they left, Hellboy rolled his eyes. But seconds later, his eyes were closed in pain as Liz yanked his hair with a flaming hand.

* * *

"I'm going after her."

Nuada paced back and forth in the room he and his sister shared, while Nuala sat on the bed. "Brother, you can't!"

He turned. "I have to, Nuala! She gave her life for us, and I won't let her suffer any longer! That passageway in her floor must be how she gets to the Underworld!"

Whatever Nuala was about to say was halted by a knock on their door. Lya was standing there, exhausted and her hair a messy ponytail hanging limply behind her. "Manning needs to see us."

Nuada glared at the wall behind her. "You were down there." It wasn't a question.

Lya's exhaustion was wiped away by a hard stubbornness. "What I did and who I did it with is none of your concern." She turned on her heel and headed to the meeting room.

The prince groaned and turned to his sister as she walked up beside him. "Can't I do anything right?"

Nuala smiled kindly. "I wouldn't say that you've done anything wrong, Brother."

He gave her a look. "Our closest friend is suffering because I was blind. You call that nothing?"

* * *

"We need agents for an undercover project."

For once, Manning got straight to the point. The team was gathered in the meeting room, and the Director was looking at Lya, Nuala and Nuada. "You three will do nicely."

"So why not send Liz, John and me," Clay asked, "I mean, we're human." He glanced at the elves. "No offense, guys."

Manning shook his head. "No. Lya, Nuada and Nuala will fit in perfectly."

Hellboy snorted. "Where is this undercover mission, a StarTrek convention?" Three sets of elven feet, as well as a pair of maternity shoes stomped on the demon's boots in perfect unison. "Ow!"

Manning glanced at a piece of paper. "Actually, it's at a rave."

"You're sending us to a _rave_?" Lya asked. At the team's surprised glances, she shrugged. "You have no idea the number of teenagers that die at those."

"What are we doing there?"

The Director turned to Nuala. "Blending in. A rogue demon is supposed to be there tonight, and he's taken up the appearance of a teenage boy."

"And you don't think three elves that all look uncannily alike will tip him off?" Abe asked.

"Lya looks different. She'll go for him."

"Absolutely not." Everyone's gazes turned to Nuada. "She can barely stand, let alone face a demon with powers we don't even know about. It's a death sentence, one that I won't allow her to take. There has to be some other way to resolve this conflict."

"Because we all know how you solve _your_ conflicts," Lya fired back. She looked at Manning. "I'll do it."

"You're insane!" Nuada shouted. Was she determined to send herself to the grave early? Why was she so stubborn? Nuala glanced at him; apparently she was thinking the same thing.

"Maybe I am!"

Clay turned to Manning. "Are you _sure_ you don't want to send me, Liz and John?"

* * *

Nuala groaned as she shielded her eyes from the flashing light above the warehouse. She, Lya and Nuada were dressed in street clothes, and it felt like her shirt was tightening around her as she was pushed around by throngs of people.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed hers. The princess looked up and saw Lya smiling and mouthing something. The girl pulled her to the bar, and repeated, "Nice, huh?"

Nuada, who was leaning against the counter, scoffed. "Hardly."

Nuala glanced at the two, and then shouted over the music, "I'm going to find a bathroom! Can I leave you two alone for a few minutes?!" Two shrugs were the responses, and Nuala sighed as she pushed her way back into the gyrating mass of people.

Lya sighed and pulled herself up onto a barstool, swirling to face the bar. "I'm sorry. I'm just trying to protect you."

Nuada glanced at her, then took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I don't want you protecting me if it means you have to suffer. Please, let me help you."

"If he sees you, he'll kill you. I can't let you."

"I know how you get to him; you can't stop me from following you."

Suddenly, Lya turned around to face him. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. We're at a party, we should be enjoying ourselves."

The prince blinked in surprise, but then nodded. "So then," Nuada said with a smirk on his face, "Are court dances the only kind you know?"

Lya smirked back, an equally lusty look. "How's about I show you, Prince Nuada?" She grabbed his hand and began to pull him onto the dancefloor, but Nuala appeared in front of them. "He's here."

The two elves looked at each other and then, without glancing around, turned to Nuala. "Where?"

"Ten meters to your left, Lya." Casually glancing out into the crowd, the elf spotted the demon—spiky, gelled hair, cocky grin. She smirked, and without a glance to the twins, she sauntered off to meet him. Seconds later, they were dancing. Nuala glanced at her brother, outrage plain on his face. "She works fast."

"I don't want to talk about it," Nuada ground out. He turned to look at Lya, but spotted her by the door, hand in hand with the demon. Where were they going?

And that was when he saw the gun he had pointed at her back.

* * *

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_Kit &_ Violet


	8. Chapter 8

Hey guys, what's goin' on? No reviews, no posts!

_We're taking a break from the Hellboy fandom anyway, so we can wait until after our Da Vinci Code stories are posted. _

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual**_

* * *

Nuada's heart was in his throat by the time he and Nuala pushed past what seemed like half of Trenton's population to get outside. He glanced around wildly, looking for Lya and her captor, but neither where in sight.

But that was when a gunshot tore the air by the shore. Exchanging a glance with his terrified sibling, the two of them bolted for the beach. What they found was not what they were expecting; at first it looked like the demon was buried up to his knees in the sand, but then Nuada realized that he _was_ the sand. Lya was jumping around like a mad cricket, avoiding razor sharp spikes of sand that shot up wherever she landed. The prince's breath caught in his throat as she flipped, a spike shooting up centimeters from her stomach.

Looking around for a weapon—because his lance would be about as helpful as a toothpick—Nuada spotted the gun. Growling, he shook his head; it was about as useful as his lance, and besides, he had no idea how to fire it. A hand on his sleeve startled him, and he turned to see Nuala gesturing to the ocean. _Water clumps sand!_

He flashed his sister a smile as he looked for something to carry the water in. _Brilliant._

Then he spotted it—an abandoned plastic bucket; a huge one at that. Just his luck. Glancing once more to see how Lya was faring, the prince dashed for the bucket. As he reached the water, he felt his sister's horror reverberate through him, and he heard a sickening crack of bones a second later. Lya jumped back into his view, cradling her wrist.

Grabbing the full bucket, Nuada snuck up behind the sand monster, careful not to twist his ankle in any holes. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nuala brandishing a piece of driftwood. In a smooth, coordinated movement, Nuada dumped the bucket of water on the monster's head, and it let out a wail. The sound was cut off a second later when Nuala's makeshift bat knocked its head clean off its shoulders. The rest of the sand crumbled.

Nuada dropped to his knees, drowning in relief as Nuala ran to Lya. "Are you alright?" she demanded.

The elf nodded. "Never better."

Nuala rolled her eyes and gestured at Lya's wrist. "Let me see."

Lya shrugged and showed the princess her hand—sparks were flying along the surface. "It's already on the mend. It'll be fixed by the time we get back to the Bureau." Grabbing her communicator, she clicked the talk button. "Hey, we got it—Nuada and Nuala killed it. Injuries? None. Send a car or something; we're on the beach."

She turned off the communicator before Nuada could grab it. "No injuries?" he hissed. "Look at yourself!"

Lya did. "So? I was already exhausted, and the wrist will heal by the time we get back."

"Why are you so stubborn?!" the prince demanded.

"Why the hell do you care?!" the girl snapped back. Nuada took a step back, looking hurt. Lya winced at the look on his face and started to say something, but her eyes rolled up and she slumped onto the sand.

* * *

Lya groaned as she came to, firmly resolving to never pass out again—it was _not_ fun. She took in the antiseptic smell of the room, and the hideous pale green color of the walls. Something shifted to her side, and Lya saw Nuada asleep on the chair next to her bed. As her heart monitor sped up, he jerked awake, his eyes meeting hers. "It's about time you woke up."

"What time is it?"

"An hour til midnight."

A chill ran down Lya's spine. "How many days have I been asleep?"

"Three."

Lya sat up and began pulling out the wires and cords hooked to her. "I have to dance for him tonight! I missed a night!"

Nuada jumped up and pushed her back into the bed. "No." he said firmly. "You are not going anywhere."

Lya gave him a look that would make milk curdle, and in one smooth movement, she slipped out from his grip and was out into the hallway before he could blink. Growling, he rushed after her, catching up to her just as she disappeared into her room. "Stop, Lya! Enough! You're going too far!"

She turned slamming her hand on the bureau. "Enough? Nuada, what's wrong with you? I realize I was your friend, but _you're_ the one taking it too far! Don't you realize that if I don't dance for him, you and Nuala will die?!"

"You're more than a friend!" Nuada shouted, too angry to realize what he had said. When Lya's eyes widened, Nuada looked down, embarrassed.

"You're kidding, right?" Lya asked, as she stepped forward. "This is just some sort of joke to keep me here, isn't it?"

"I don't joke."

Lya kept walking until she was right in front of the prince. "So what the hell are you saying? You know how much I hate word games—unless I'm the one playing them."

Figuring he was already digging his own grave, instead of answering Nuada pushed the elf in the wall, kissing her hard.

Lya gasped in surprise, but her arms wrapped around Nuada's neck, running through his hair. His hands gripped her waist as her fingers brushed up against his neck, but a second later he recoiled as she jabbed something sharp into his skin.

The girl stepped back as Nuada crumpled to the ground, tossing the spiked vial that she had palmed when she slammed her hand on the bureau onto her bed. The prince looked up at her in surprise. "What did you—" His eyes rolled back up into his head.

Lya smiled faintly. "Nuada, I'm so sorry. I had to—I have to dance for him." She bent down and kissed him lightly, checking his pulse to make sure it was steady—he was asleep. Grabbing a coil of rope out of her bag, she made sure he was secure, and then rushed to get ready for the dance.

* * *

Hellboy wandered the hallways, looking for the elves. Nuala was with Abe—the doors of the library were locked, so he could only guess what was going on—but Nuada and Lya were missing. The security cameras showed them both going into Lya's room, looking really pissed.

The door to the girl's room was open, and Hellboy peered in. He spotted Nuada on the bed, trussed up like a turkey. "Geez man! I had no idea you were inta that sorta thing!"

"Shut up and untie me," Nuada snapped, "Lya drugged me and then ran off. Has she come back?"

Hellboy shrugged as he struggled with the intricate knots. "Hell, I ain't seen her."

Nuada froze, his white face even paler than before. "You don't think he wants her during the day again, do you?"

The demon smirked as the knots came undone, and moved to work on the elf's wrists. "Ya really like 'er, don't ya?"

"Like isn't the correct term." The last of the ropes fell off and Nuada sat up, rubbing his wrists to get circulation going.

"More like _love_, right?"

Nuada stood up, glancing at the demon. "Something like that." He was about to say something else, but Clay peered in. "C'mon. Johann wants us in the library—says he has an idea."

The elf was out the door and heading for the library before Clay was even finished.

* * *

Once they were all assembled, Johann stood. "Vell, zat vas rather fast. In most deals—magical vones, anyvay—zere is a verbal agreement. If ve could figure out vhat is vas, perhaps ve could find a loophole."

"Good luck asking my father," Nuada said, "He happens to be dead."

"Ah, but Death vould have had to repeat ze deal vith Lya—because she could have declined."

"She won't tell us either," Nuala said. "We don't even know where she is!"

John's PDA buzzed. "Actually, they just did. She's asleep in one of the sheds. Has a rigged shotgun pointed at the door so no one can get in." He grinned. "Apparently she doesn't want to be woken up."

"Wasn't there a human fairytale like this?" Nuala asked. "Something with princesses?"

"_The Worn-Out Dancing Shoes_?" Liz asked. "That was a story about twelve princesses disappearing every night to dance with twelve princes. A soldier found out about it and decided to figure out where they were going. He did it, and married the oldest princess." She shrugged. "It's completely irrelevant though. He had help from a fairy dressed like an old lady and was immune to the sleeping spell—hate to break it to you, but we don't have any old hags on stand-by."

"I know how she does it—how she gets there," Nuada blurted. "I'm going after her the next night; I just need to know how to avoid the sleeping spell."

"Nightshade generally nullifies spells, but I don't know how much you'll need to counteract Death's magic," Abe told him, "And then we would need to know what's waiting for you down there."

Nuada looked at him. "I'll do whatever it takes."

"How about dying?" John asked.

* * *

REVIEW DAMNIT!

_Kit &_ Violet


	9. Chapter 9

Review or no posts!

_Okay, Nuada really fucks up in this one!_

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual**_

* * *

Nuada stood in the library as his sister, the man in the suit and the fish-man hovered around him, drawing runes on his skin and pinning symbols onto his clothes. The pouch that hung from his waist was stuffed with herbs. Hellboy, Liz, John and Clay watched on.

Finally Nuala, Johann and Abe stepped back and Nuada felt like someone dropped ice down the back of his shirt. The three in front of him grinned at each other. "It worked."

"What worked?" the prince demanded. Nuala didn't say anything, but handed him a glass of water. Nuada almost dropped it when he realized he was invisible. "This is amazing!"

Clay nodded. "We managed to get that rug out of Lya's room before she came out of the shed, so she'll have to go out the back like she did the night that thing attacked."

"And you can follow her, completely invisible." Liz smiled. She glanced at the clock. "Abe says the herbs in that pouch will keep you awake and prevent any magic from getting to you. So in about a minute....." she trailed off as she and the rest of the team collapsed—sound asleep.

"I suppose it was less that a minute," Nuada murmured as he crept past them and outside. As he headed for the back door, the prince almost ran into Lya. She was beautiful; wearing the traditional flowing shirt and tight leggings of a court dancer. Her hair and the belt on her waist were streaked with ribbons.

Lya slipped out the back door and past the security cameras into the woods until she came to a stop at a gnarled oak. Knocking on the woods, a small peephole slide open, before slamming shut—in seconds, the whole side of the tree peeled apart. The little goblin at the door bowed low. "Milady, you're back."

She didn't look at him. "The humans took my other means of crossing to Our Lord's realm."

The goblin nodded and peered behind her, his eyes widening. For a moment Nuada thought he had been spotted, but then the goblin shrugged and let them pass. The prince followed her down a winding staircase and past a pair of golden gates, which swung open at her down. Shuddering at the atrocities on either side of the road—while Lya didn't do so much as blink—Nuada almost slammed into her when they stopped in front of a black lake.

Lya stared straight ahead and announced, "I, Lyalispar, and my hidden companion wish to cross to Death's island."

Nuada paled. "You knew?"

She didn't turn. "Of course." Lya glanced at the water. "You were an idiot to follow me, I don't know if that worked—that lake may very well burn us alive." Taking a deep breath, she stepped onto the surface of the lake, and it held. Now she looked at him, "Your turn."

Hesitantly, the elf stepped on the black, glassy surface, letting his shoulders dropped in relief as he didn't fall through. Quickly they made their way across the lake to the black sand on the other side. Attendants rushed to her side, but Lya brushed them off. As they walked into the ballroom, Nuada scanned the room, searching for Death in the midst of the horrors that gathered there.

"Which one of them is he?" Nuada hissed in her ear.

Lya's eyes flicked to a dark-haired man in the corner. "Him, there."

Nuada's eyes widened in surprise. "The _human_?"

"Believe me, Nuada, he is anything but human." The words sent a chill down Nuada's spine, and the more he looked at the man, the more he saw that he _wasn't_ human. His limbs were a little too long, his fingers a little too tapered, his skin a little too smooth and his teeth a little too sharp. The glint in his eye suggested things that Nuada couldn't—and didn't want—to even comprehend.

The man clapped his hands and everyone was silent. "Ah, Lya, you've arrived." A snap of his fingers, and music started to play. Lya stepped away from the prince, leaving him to dodge the guests that brushed past him to get to the food and wine. As Lya twirled on the floor, her ribbons sailing a second after her, Nuada ignored the feral look in Death's eye and searched for a weapon. Johann had warned him that any weapon he took into Death's realm would be destroyed at the threshold, and he couldn't risk his lance. That meant Nuada would have to find a weapon here. And considering the way some of the courtiers ate, the prince doubted there was even cutlery, let alone something sharper.

Several hours later as the songs ended and the musicians paused for a break, Lya spoke. "Your Eminence, may I ask a question?"

Death looked up from a ghoul that had been whispering in his ear. "Of course, my dear."

"Their Highnesses have been at the Bureau for a time now, and they are beginning to suspect—as the others do. I have heard that His Highness, Prince Silverlance, will try to pursue me down here. May I have your word that you will not harm him if he does?"

Death smiled and his eyes raked the crowd, trying to see if the prince was already there. Nuada held his breath as the man's gaze swept over him, but he then moved on. Seeing nothing, Death put his hand over his heart—or where his heart should be—and announced. "I swear I will not harm a hair on his head."

"Thank you, Your Eminence."

The musicians returned to their positions and Lya started to dance again. Nuada glanced around, continuing his search for a weapon, when he noticed something that hadn't been there before. Several large men moved through the crowd, seemingly guests, but the mere fact that they were indeed human—or in a human guise—alerted Nuada that all was not well.

Turning around and doubling back so he was standing right next to Death's throne, he saw several more getting closer and he went further into the crowd, startling a plump man with a walrus face. But now he saw that there were even more of them; several women as well. Not knowing what else to do, he darted onto the empty dance floor where Lya was twirling.

It was his mistake.

Nuada skidded to a stop as Lya maneuvered towards him; her hand struck him on the cheek and she faltered for a moment as her hand snapped forward from the impact. But that second was all Death needed—with a snap of his fingers, the music stopped and Nuada felt his invisibility dissipate as he found it impossible to move. With a shimmer, two pseudo-humans appeared at his sides, holding onto his arms as their scimitars crossed just under his throat. With a shove, they pushed him to his knees.

_Idiot_, he mentally berated himself. He had been so busy avoiding the threats he could see that he had been corralled into a trap by those he couldn't. Death stepped down from his throne and walked over to the captive and his guards. He looked at the two. "I'm sure you two know what we do with intruders."

"No!" Lya shouted, "You said you wouldn't hurt him!"

Death nodded. "I said I wouldn't harm a hair on his head." He pulled on a lock of Nuada's hair, making the elf wince, and chose a hair. "I pick this one."

Lya paused and then took a deep breath. When she spoke, her voice seemed stronger, clearer. "I hear your words, Death," she said, "And they bind you."

Death shrugged, grinning. "That they do, my lovely dancer." He looked at an ornate clock mounted on the wall. "And now it appears to be dawn, so your time is up. You should head back now. But as for your precious prince," Death paused and smiled widely, "He shall remain here, as my honored guest."

Lya looked at the windows; the rising sun was barely visible. Shooting a glance at Nuada she turned and ran from the castle.

* * *

_REVIEW DAMNIT!_

_Kit &_ Violet


	10. Chapter 10

Hey, y'all! We're back from California!

_Yeah, the computer my mom made us take wasn't mine, and my flash drive decided to NOT WORK when we got there, so we had nothing to work with. But now, we're back! _

We got just a bit of Abe/Nuala, for igbogal and whoever else likes the pairing!

_Are we forgetting anything?_

Well, if we tell them, it won't be a surprise!

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual**_

* * *

"How could you?"

The team had been sitting in the library, rubbing various parts of their bodies that were sore from sleeping on the floor when Lya had burst in. "How could you have let him go after me?!" she demanded.

"Where is he?" Nuala asked.

"Death's castle, that's where!" Lya snapped. "Death saw him and caught him!"

Nuala and Liz gasped, and Lya sank onto the couch next to Hellboy. The demon tried to crack a smile. "Ya know, he did it 'cause he loves ya."

"Yes, and now he'll die because he loves me!" Lya buried her head in her hands and Abe patted her back. "I'm sure Hellboy was just trying to make you feel better." The icthyo-sapien gave Hellboy a look, and he nodded.

"Well it didn't work, but thank you for trying," came the muffled reply.

John tried to smile. "Well, the day after tomorrow we'll go get him back, okay Lya?"

Taking a deep breath, the elf sat up. "No, we won't. As I was leaving, I was told that Death only required my audience once a month. Thirty days." Lya looked tortured. "He'll be dead in thirty days."

Liz stood and grabbed Lya's hand, pulling her up. "Like hell he is! We're getting the bastard back!"

Nuala cocked her head to the side. "Bastard?"

Liz nodded. "When we get him back, I'm going to help you two slap that fool silly!"

Hellboy grinned. "Can I help?"

* * *

Abe glanced over at the princess, who was pouring over a book on the other side of the library. John and Clay had gone to grab supplies and see if they could hijack a car, and Lya, Liz, Hellboy and Johann were working on a weapon that they could bring into the Underworld. That left the icthyo-sapien and Nuala working alone on a way to defeat Death's magic.

"I'm sorry."

Abe turned, surprised. "What?"

Nuala had put her book down, and was looking at him. "I'm sorry for what happened last year."

Blue looked stunned. "Princess, really! I should be the one apologizing—I gave Nuada the third piece!"

"I involved you and put you in danger!"

As they took blame, the two had walked ever closer to each other, until there was literally no room in between them. Nuala noticed and blushed, but didn't move away. Abe frowned, confused, then his eyes lit up. "Oh! Um—what were we talking about?"

"Does it really matter?"

Before Abe could answer, Nuala arched up and pressed her lips to his. Abe's eyes widened in shock, but before he could respond, there was a pounding on the door, and Hellboy burst in. "Hey, Abe! Johann shipped me in here ta ask if ya guys had—" His jaw dropped. "Um, I'll just.......bye Abe!" The door slammed shut behind him.

Nuala blushed and took a step back. "I should probably go back to researching."

Abe cleared his throat and turned back to his book, stumbling as he did so. "Y-Yes, we should. Agreed."

* * *

It was dank, dark and clammy; a perfect dungeon interior, Nuada thought. He had made an enormous mess of things—he had been captured, Lya was most likely in trouble, and he had no way out. With a groan, he slumped his head back. "Damn!"

Nuada how no idea how long he'd been down in the prison—it felt like ages since Lya had run from the ballroom. He couldn't blame her, what more could she do? Hopefully she was able to get above and get help. Hopefully. But then again, the elf realized, by the time they duped Death, there may not be anything left of him to help.

The door to his prison creaked open, and Nuada froze as Death walked in. The man-thing was grinning so widely it wasn't even remotely human—his maw stretched from ear to ear. His long tapered fingers weren't as smooth as before, and topped with claws, and the bones stood out against the skin. His pupils had narrowed to little slits, and his nose was narrow to the point where Nuada could barely make it out against his transluscent skin—the veins under which were dry and pale.

"I very rarely get _live_ royalty here," Death told him as he sat down. "Quite a treat." The undead lord frowned when Nuada stayed silent, before offhandedly saying, "She begged me, you know."

Nuada's eyes widened, and Death chuckled before continuing. "Lya was a nervous wreck every time an elf was brought in. She thought it was one of you." His grin grew. "She begged me to let you live—and yet you didn't even see her when you walked in, did you? Lya threatened me; me, can you imagine? All to get you and your sister back."

"She will kill you," Nuada spat.

A laugh. Death leaned forward and grabbed Nuada's chin, forcing the elf to look at him. "I _am_ Death, she can't kill _me_. You're trapped, and there's nothing Lya can do about it." With that, he stood, leaving Nuada alone in the darkness.

"She'll try!" Nuada snapped after him, and suddenly, fear flooded through him. Lya _would_ try, and fail—and that was what scared him.

* * *

Lya was blasted backward as their latest attempt blew up in her face—literally. "Goddamnit!"

Johann frowned and jotted something down in the notebook they were using. "Attempt number forty—failed."

Liz slammed her fist down on the table. "I don't get it! How are we supposed to get through with weapons if they melt at the gate?!"

"Magic?" Hellboy suggested, earning himself two smoldering glowers. Suddenly, however, Lya snapped her fingers. "That's it!"

"Magic?"

The elf gave him a look. "No, not magic. What if what we brought in wasn't a weapon, but it turned other things into weapons?" At the confused glances, she explained. "Something, for example, that could pass through the gates because alone it was harmless, but once it was mixed with something else, became a weapon?"

Hellboy grinned and patted her on the back. "Smart!" But before they could plan, the door hissed open. The quartet turned, expecting Abe or John, but instead they saw a small pair of creatures—a goblin and a gnome—making they're way towards them. Hellboy reached for his gun, but Lya eyed them suspiciously. "You are the two guards to Death's realm; through the tree."

The two bowed. "Yes, my lady. Death has sent us with an offer."

"Vhat sort of offer?" Johann asked, cautious.

"In exchange for Lyalispar, His Eminence will return Prince Nuada Silverlance—"

"Well," Liz snapped, "that's obvious, but we happen to need them both!"

The gnome ducked his head. "If the fiery-one would let me finish. In exchange for Lyalispar, His Eminence will return Prince Nuada Silverlance, _as well as_ Professor Trevor Bruttenholm."

* * *

_I can just see the jaws dropping....._

You said that already!

_Yeah, I know. We have a great cliffhanger for Skeleton In The Closet!_

_Kit &_ Violet


	11. Chapter 11

_Yup, it's a cliffie......we just love torturing you all._

REVIEW!

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual**_

* * *

Liz's eyes widened as she listened to the gnome repeat the offer, before glancing at Hellboy. The demon's head was bowed, his shoulders hunched, and his expression unreadable. Lya, on the other hand, seemed to be the opposite—her back was straight and her eyes burned with rage. "We have a dea—"

Both the elf's and Liz's eyes widened as Hellboy clapped his hand over her mouth. Johann stepped in, filling the stunned silence. "Ve need time to sink about it."

The goblin nodded. "His Eminence says that you have until tomorrow." With twin flashes, the two were gone.

Lya stepped back, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Are you _mad_, Hellboy? Death just offered you _your father_, and you don't take it?"

"Vith you in exchange," Johann reminded her.

"I don't give a damn!" Lya snapped, her silver hair flying as she spun to face Johann. "In case you've forgotten, I've lived there for the past thousand years! Not much of a change!"

Hellboy's voice was subdued. "We don't know if my father will be alive. Or Nuada."

"And you're not going to take that chance?" the elf demanded. The door creaked open, and the others peered in—they had heard the noise. "For once in your life, Hellboy, be selfish! Listen to me—I'll do it! You can't make my decision for me, and I've decided to take the deal!"

"Like hell you are!" Hellboy roared, glaring at her. "We can't trust 'im! Fer all we know, he might just give us back their bodies, minus the souls! He's trickin' ya—he knows yer gonna take the deal!"

"Well then he knows me well!" Lya crossed her arms over her chest. "Hellboy, you can't stop me. You couldn't stop me from going to him then, and you can't stop me now."

"What's going on?" John asked.

Liz sidestepped the two angry agents and walked over to the others. "Two of Death's lackeys showed up and offered Nuada and Professor Broom for Lya, but Hellboy won't let her take the deal."

John blinked in surprise. "Hellboy, are you _crazy_?" Almost immediately, the agent's eyes widened and he blushed. "Sorry, Lya, that came out wrong."

The girl shrugged. "No worries." She turned to Hellboy. "Look, even John think you should. You _always_ listen to John!"

"Well, he doesn't _always_—"

"Shuddup, John!"

The agent looked down. "Sorry Lya."

The demon straightened and jabbed a finger at Lya. "This is _my_ team and _my_ father we're talkin' about. I'll decide—we vote. And," he glared at Lya, "You ain't votin'."

The two glared at each other for a moment before Lya spun on her heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the giant metal door behind her. Seconds later, the door fell off its hinges, crashing to the floor. Abe sighed and exchanged glances with Nuala. "I'll call the maintenance crew."

* * *

Lya paced back and forth anxiously in front of the study doors at the team voted on what to do. Even Nuala was in there—everyone but her. What was the point in voting? She had fucking _volunteered_, and Hellboy shot her down. Her heel dug into the carpet as she turned. What could be taking them so long? She honestly considered barging in—damn what Hellboy did.

After pacing for several more minutes, Lya paused and turned, grabbing the door handles. But before she could pull, the door swung open from the other end, and she found herself propelled face-first into Abe's chest. Jumping back almost instantly, she glared at him.

The icthyo-sapien sighed. "Hellboy made it perfectly clear that I'm not supposed to tell you what we've decided."

"So why the hell are you out here, Abe?!"

Blue sighed. "The gnome said that we had to send a messenger. I'm looking for an agent."

Lya scowled—what was wrong with these people. "Death will kill your messenger. Let me do it."

"Sorry, I can't. Besides, I'm sure Death won't, well, 'shoot the messenger', as it was." The fish-man paused. "In the meantime, I would suggest resting—you look exhausted."

The elf growled and nodded, storming off to her room. But once she was around the corner, she changed. A grin stole over her face and she pulled up her shirt—double-checking the weapons she had strapped there. Glancing around to make sure that no one was around, she snuck off after Abe.

Hellboy wasn't the only one who could order ultimatums.

* * *

Nuala drummed her fingers on the table in the library; a horrible habit she was trying to break. Across from her, Liz, Hellboy and John sat silent—which was no small feat for the demon. Next to her, Abe and Clay continuously glanced at the agent's wristwatch.

Abe had found a messenger and sent him off with the answer and instructions. That had been an hour ago. Now all they could do was wait until Death replied tomorrow.

Suddenly, the door creaked open, and the agent they had sent—a young twenty-something with bleached blonde hair—stuck his head in. Hellboy looked at him, amazed. "Yer back already? That was fast—what'd the bastard say?"

The agent frowned. "Nothing. I didn't go."

Liz jumped up, her hair blazing. "Don't you understand that this is an urgent matter?! I thought we told you that!"

The agent shrank farther into the doorframe. "Y-You did, but I didn't g-go. Someone else told me that I was being r-replaced as messenger."

"Who?!"

"T-The new g-girl—y'know, the e-elf?"

Nuala froze, her eyes wide. "Oh God. _Lya._"

* * *

_REVIEW!_

_Kit &_ Violet


	12. Chapter 12

_Okay, so this is the end! _

Finite!

_Anyway, it was fun to write, and I didn't even realize it was already twelve chapters! And as some of you know, this and Skeleton In The Closet will be our last Hellboy fics for the next little while. For more info on that, go check out our profile._

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual, and we own nothing but Lya, the plot, our version of Death, the goblin, the gnome, Rorek and other assorted courtiers**_

* * *

Lya growled as she slammed another prison cell closed. "Empty." She kicked the wall in frustration. "Empty, empty, empty! Damnit! Where is he?!"

She had been in Death's dungeons for the better part of an hour, searching the cells by hand. That had been the last one—Nuada wasn't there. Lya let out a deep breath, leaning against the wall and sinking to the ground. It had only been a few days; could he be dead already? Lya marveled at her calm; abandoning one's feelings came naturally to her.

"Impossible!"

Lya froze and flattened herself against the wall as a voice snapped several yards to her left. Seconds later, two guards walked by arguing about something. The elf grinned and sucked in a breath, stepping out in front of them. "Hello."

The guards' reaction was surprisingly calm. At almost inhuman speed, the two of them had grabbed Lya and were dragging her the way she came. Lya huffed in irritation—was she nothing more than a minor annoyance? Did they even know who she was, or was this how they treated any fool who wandered down into the dungeons packing enough weapons to fight a small army? Craning her neck up to look at one of them, a blue-skinned, shark-like creature, she cleared her throat. "Excuse me?"

No answer. The second guard glanced at her, then fixed his eyes in front of him. Lya huffed again. "Excuse me!"

Nothing.

The elf growled and twisted her head, biting into a guard's arm. "Hey! Pay attention, damnit!" Lya grinned as he dropped her—spending time with Hellboy was doing wonders for her attitude. The guard swore and grabbed her shoulder hard. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he hissed.

Lya smiled. "I just wanted to know if you'd be putting me in the same cell as Prince Nuada."

The fish-guard grinned, his shark-like teeth glinting in the low light. "Oh, the prince is already upstairs. His Eminence is having a ball in his honor." He smirked at his friend, who was clutching his wounded hand. "Pity the prince's little dancer friend won't be there to see his head fly off his shoulders."

Lya nodded, and was silent until they had dragged her back into the prison cells. As they prepared to throw her in, the elf shot her legs backwards, smiling as she heard the snap of the guards' legs. Wrenching away from them, she turned and bolted out of the cell. Spinning on her heel and grabbing the door, she smiled. "The prince's little dancer friend thanks you."

And then she slammed the door in their faces.

* * *

"Get the hell offa my boot!" Hellboy growled as he punched another ghoul. He _knew_ it was a _bad_ idea to storm down the rug-portal in Lya's room. He _knew_ it was a _bad_ idea that they wrench the golden gate of its hinges. And he _knew_ it was a _bad_ idea to not follow the path that led straight, and take off down some little half-assed trail—one that ended up leading him, Liz, John, Abe, Johann, Clay and Nuala into a swamp full of the undead.

"Hellboy, this is the worst damn idea you've ever had!"

The demon growled as John flew past him, several ghouls racing through the water to catch him. "I know, damnit! Quit rubbin' it in!"

"You know," Liz commented calmly from the shore, frying ghouls as they came close, "This is where I would say 'I told you so'."

"Shut up, Liz! No one asked yer damn opinion!"

The surge of heat behind him told Red that he had struck a nerve. Coincidentally, he had also struck upon an idea. Turning to Liz, he shouted, "And those pants make yer ass look huge!"

If the brilliant flash of light hadn't blinded him for a few moments after the fire roasted the swamp, Hellboy would have seen Abe and Johann exchange nervous glances, or seen John make a slitting motion across his throat. As it was, the demon completely didn't see the flaming fist that knocked him to the ground.

When his vision cleared enough to let him wobble to his feet and shake his head, Liz was several yards off. John grinned at him as he followed her. "You know, I'm starting to like your stupid ideas."

A giant red hand caught the agent in the back of the head, making him stumble into Johann. "Shut up, Boy Scout."

* * *

Half an hour later, the team stopped again. A giant black lake loomed in front of them. Hellboy grinned. "We can all swim, right?" The demon stepped toward the lake. "Well, what're we waitin' for? Let's go kick Death's ass!"

Johann paused and reached out to stop the demon as he stepped into the water. "Hellboy, I do not sink it vill be zat—"

"Holy Mother 'a God!"

The ghost winced as Hellboy shot out of the lake, clutching his smoking tail. "—simple."

Abe frowned. "Well, we obviously can't swim across." He looked at Nuala. "We didn't happen to bring a boat?" Nuala shook her head.

"So how the hell are we supposed to get across?"

"_State your business."_

As one, the team whirled to see a section of the lake rise to form a woman. The figure cocked her head to the side and asked again, _"What is your business?"_

John was about to answer when Hellboy stepped forward. "Look, lady, I got a fuckin' crazy elf in there who wants to get herself killed savin' her boyfriend's ass. 'Cause a her, I almost got eaten by a buncha zombie-wannabes and almost got my tail singed off! Now if ya don't let me and my team get ta that damn island, I'mma turn ya inta rain!"

Liz snorted. "Smart."

But surprisingly, the woman faded away and a stretch of the water turned lighter. Hellboy nodded. "What was that? About me being smart?"

"Don't push it, Hellboy."

With a sigh, Hellboy stepped onto the water, testing his weight. When it held, he turned to the others and gave a thumbs-up before taking off. The others followed carefully.

* * *

Nuala breathed a sigh of relief as they reached the silver sand on the other side of the lake. Almost immediately, strange creatures in servants' clothes popped out, but hung back as they watched the strangers make their way up the stairs. As she climbed, the princess reached her hand out, grabbing Abe's. The fish-man froze, but then he smiled. _It'll be okay, I promise._

Nuala was about to respond when Hellboy kicked the door down. The demon's jaw dropped. Lya was backed against a wall, panting and clutching her bleeding side, with two stunned men—some young dark-haired man looming on a throne, and Nuada, who was chained to the wall behind her. Hellboy grinned and cleared his throat. "D'we miss the party?"

* * *

_Ten minutes earlier_

Lya paused to take a deep breath. She had found her way up from the dungeons, and into the servants quarters. A thick wooden door was the only thing that stood between her and a ballroom full of bloodthirsty nightmare-creatures—and Death.

And hopefully Nuada; alive.

Pressing her ear to the door, she gently pried it open, sneaking into the crowd. Poking her head up over the crowd, she spotted Death on his throne, whispering in the ear of one of his guards. To his left—and Lya's right—Nuada was chained to the wall, looking worse for the wear.

Lya was about to move back when she felt something sharp poke into her back. A split second later, Death's voice rang out, "Lya, how much longer are you going to hide in the shadows?"

The guard behind her prodded her with his sword, and Lya stepped out of the crowd, onto the dancefloor. Death smiled. "Aren't we eager? I told you to come back a month from now." His eyes narrowed, and something in them flashed. "Is there a particular reason you've chosen to disobey me?"

Lya smirked. "None in particular." Death started to respond, but she twisted to the side and swung her arms out behind her, grabbing the sword and yanking it out of the guard's hands. A second later, as she jumped away toward Nuada, she dropped the sword; its owner was currently spilling his guts on the floor—literally.

The elf grabbed onto a tapestry above Nuada's head as more guards swarmed from the crowd. The prince craned his neck to look up at her. "Lya, what in the Tuatha's name have you done to your hair?"

"As a matter of fact," Lya snapped, "I tucked it into my shirt and then died what was left of it black. But now," she added as a dozen arrows buried themselves into the cloth just inches beneath her feet, "is not the time!" She hissed as an arrow caught her side, slicing open the skin.

A knife buried itself into the rope holding the tapestry up and Lya jumped and it fell to the crowd, falling into the crowd. The second she hit the ground, the elf was up again, but someone grabbed her hand. Lya whirled, knives ready, but paused. "King Balor?"

The old elf nodded, scanning the crowd for the guards that were hunting Lya. "Remember, Lyalispar, even Death is bound to his promises."

"What do you......" Lya trailed off as she remembered. With a nod of thanks, she darted back onto the floor that she had spent so many years dancing on. Skidding to a stop in front of Nuada, she waved frantically at the guards. "Hey! Over here!"

"Are you mad?!" Nuada demanded, his eyes wide.

"Only slightly."

One of the guards, a female whose skin was bubbling as she tried to decide between her real form and her fake human one, grinned as she spotted Lya. Without hesitating, the knife that was strapped to her side was whistling through the air, the court's eyes—especially Death's—all on it. But at the last moment, Lya darted to the side, and the knife stuck in the wall, inches from Nuada's face.

"Well, Lya," Death said as he stood, "It seems you're trapped." He started to continue, but paused when he saw Lya's shoulders were shaking. "Crying, really?"

Death's eyes widened when he realized Lya was laughing. His eyes scanned the room, wondering what was so funny. He gasped—the guard's knife had buried itself in the wall, but it had to cut through Nuada's hair to do it. A lock of the elf's hair had been sliced off, and of all the millions of hairs on his head, the one Death had sworn not to damage had been cut.

An echo of Lya's words rang through the air. _"I hear your words, Death, and they bind you." _Behind the elf, and in front of her, Nuada's and Death's jaws dropped.

Three seconds later, the giant front doors fell like they were made of paper. Hellboy stuck his head inside, and the grin on his face faded. He cleared his throat. "D'we miss the party?"

"Just in time, actually." Nuada commented as the chains around his wrists faded.

Lya smirked and turned to Death. "You broke your promise."

Death sighed, and ran a hand over his face. "What do you want?"

Hellboy elbowed Abe. "What's going on?"

Abe glared and hissed back. "Apparently Death swore something to Lya. Now that he's gone back on his word, he owes her retribution."

"Oh."

Lya paused. "Freedom. And free passage from here for me and my friends."

Death sighed again and snapped his fingers. "And so it is done. You're free to go."

Hellboy cleared his throat. "So.......why the hell are _we_ here?"

Death glanced at him. "Who even _are_ you?"

"Why ya smarmy little—"

* * *

Hellboy collapsed on the couch as Abe shut the door behind them. Lya and Nuada were standing close together by the door, the prince's arm wrapped around her waist. He cleared his throat. "Thank you for trying to save me." Quietly, he added, "Even though Lya did all the work." Lya laughed, but suddenly pulled away from him and slugged him in the shoulder. Nuada hissed as she did it again. "Why?"

"Those were for being an idiot and bugging me. And this," she punched him again, "was for sneaking off and getting caught and making me come save your sorry ass."

Nuala laughed as her brother winced. Nuada grinned. "Really? Well then I think you deserve retribution for unnecessarily risking your life and making us all worry out of our minds."

Lya smirked. "What kind of retribution?"

Nuada's grin widened, and then he kissed her.

* * *

REVIEW DAMNIT!

_Kit &_ Violet


	13. Chapter 13

_Okay, Ngoc Chau, I totally lied. THIS is the end._

This is an epilogue, so enjoy!

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: Same as before, and we own Agent Morelli.**_

* * *

"I'm bored."

Liz sighed and looked up from her book. "So find something to do, Hellboy."

"But I'm _boooooooored_!"

Johann grimaced and looked at Abe and Nuala, who were sharing an armchair. "Should vone of you hit him, or should I?" Abe shrugged and Nuala laughed. Johann nodded. "Me it is."

Red cracked open an eye and glared at Johann before closing his eye again. "Nazi, if ya hit me, I'll make ya wish ya were back in Germany."

The German laughed. "Zen I have nosing to lose!"

Hellboy yelped as a coffee cup connected with his forehead. In seconds, he shot up, stalking menacingly towards the German. "Why ya little—I'mma teach ya a—Yer _dead_, buddy!" Johann raised his hands in defense and pointed at John—who held another cup behind his back. "It vasn't me!"

"_Would Hellboy please report to the Director's office immediately?" _A male voice droned over the PA system.

Hellboy glanced at the ceiling in surprise, his fist inches from Johann's helmet. "Wha?"

"_I repeat, would Hellboy please report to the Director's office immediately?" _

With a groan, the demon spun on his heel and trudged off, the door slamming behind him—Johann sighed in relief. Seconds later, the door opened to reveal Lya and Nuada. One of the prince's arms was wrapped around his lover's waist, and in his other hand he held something that look surprising like a PA system microphone. Both elves were grinning like mad. Clay arched an eyebrow. "What have you two done?"

Nuada and Lya glanced at each other and their grins widened. Lya laughed. "Come on! We can't miss the look on his face!"

Liz stood up and looked at the others. "Something tells me Hellboy isn't going to be bored for much longer."

Abe chuckled and wrapped his arm around Nuala's shoulders as they stood. "Whatever gave you _that_ idea?"

* * *

Hellboy groaned as he stood in front of Manning's office. What the hell could the man want now? The demon paced back and forth, dreading opening the door. Suddenly—as Hellboy tends to do things—he took a deep breath and barged in. "Look, Manning, I swear, I had no idea that Agent Morelli was allergic to guavas, and whatever he told you about me almost shootin' him, I swear it was 'cause he was drivin' me crazy and........" Hellboy trailed off and his jaw dropped as he saw who was sitting at the Director's desk.

Professor Broom looked up from his book, smiling at the demon's reaction. "Hellboy, what exactly have you done to Agent Morelli?"

Red froze. "But _you_—But _how_—I mean—" Pausing, he sucked in a deep breath. "Father."

A laugh from the doorway startled him. Lya was standing in the hallway with the rest of the team, smiling. "Death said if I came to him, he would give us Nuada and Professor Broom." She winked at the Professor. "I guess he just go lost in transit."

In two steps Hellboy crossed the room, sweeping the elf into a hug. "I love you," he murmured into her neck. A second later, something sharp pressed into his side. The demon glanced at Nuada—there was murder in the elf's eyes. Slowly, he lowered Lya to the ground.

Abe seemed to regain his vocal skills. "Lya, this is _amazing_!"

The elf smirked at John and Clay. "Yeah? Just wait 'til Manning gets back from his vacation tomorrow."

Both agents groaned.

* * *

Bet y'all thought we forgot about Professor Broom!

_Well, actually, we totally did. And then a faithful reviewer reminded us! Thank you! _

And speaking of reviews.....

_REVIEW DAMNIT!_

_Kit & _Violet


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